Production design simulation device

Abstract

To allow for flexible calculation of amounts of carbon dioxide gas emission corresponding to various production processes.SOLUTION: In a production design simulation device 1, facility element information including a facility CFP basic unit per unit operating time, initiation conditions of work elements to which types and quantities of required components are set, output destinations after the completion of work of the work elements, standard cycle times of the work elements, work element information including a material CFP basic unit per unit consumption of the components, and link information changeably associating facility elements and the work elements with each other are stored, and simulation processing is performed so that a first facility element executes work in response to satisfying an initiation condition of the work element information of a first work element linked to the first facility element and a result is output to an output destination after the completion of work in the work element information of the first work element, and a total amount of carbon dioxide emission is calculated in a simulation manner on the basis of multiplication between the facility CFP basic unit of the first facility element and the standard cycle time and multiplication between the material CFP basic unit of the first work element and the consumption of components.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a production design simulation device that predicts state transitions in a system that is composed of elements such as things, machines, workers, and transportation workers and transportation means such as forklifts related to logistics, for example, in a work process related to manufacturing production. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in order to predict the behavior of a production line, a production design simulation device is known that performs a discrete simulation by inducing an inherent operation in an equipment element that is the root of a production process network, and then propagating the inducing of the inherent operation to each equipment element of the production process network that is connected to the root, thereby simulating the state in which production progresses.

[0003] As such a production design simulation device, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a production design simulation device that stores equipment element information composed of equipment element specifications, trigger conditions for work elements in which the type and number of required parts are set, work element information composed of work element specifications including an output destination after the work of the work element is completed, and link information relating the equipment elements to the work elements, and processes in a simulated manner such that, in response to satisfaction of the trigger conditions for the work element information of a first work element linked to the first equipment element by the link information, the first equipment element executes the work and outputs the work element information of the first work element to the output destination after the work is completed. This production design simulation device flexibly sets and changes the link between the work element information and the equipment element information, making it possible to flexibly perform a variety of simulations. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5688864 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6998064 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In recent years, the increase in greenhouse gas emissions has caused a significant environmental burden, and so the Carbon Footprint of Products (CFP) has been proposed as an initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Carbon Footprint of Products (CFP) visualizes the greenhouse gases emitted throughout the entire life cycle of a product, from the procurement of raw materials to production, transportation, disposal after consumption, and recycling, by converting them into carbon dioxide emissions.

[0006] In order to accurately calculate and reduce carbon dioxide emissions in CFP, it is important to accurately calculate carbon dioxide emissions in the production design of the production process that is part of the CFP and to seek ways to reduce these emissions.

[0007] However, although the production design simulation devices in Patent Documents 1 and 2 can flexibly set and change the link between work element information and facility element information and flexibly simulate a variety of production processes, they are not designed to calculate the amount of carbon dioxide emissions corresponding to each production process. Therefore, there is a demand for a production design simulation device that can flexibly set and change the link between work element information and facility element information, flexibly simulate a variety of production processes, and also calculate the amount of carbon dioxide emissions corresponding to each production process.

[0008] The present invention has been proposed in view of the above problems, and has an object to provide a production design simulation device that can flexibly set and change the linkage between work element information and equipment element information, flexibly simulate a variety of production processes, and flexibly calculate carbon dioxide emissions corresponding to the various production processes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The production design simulation device of the present invention is a production design simulation device that simulates state transitions due to a chain of discretely occurring events, and includes an equipment element information storage unit that stores equipment element information composed of equipment element specifications including equipment CFP consumption unit per unit operating time, a work element information storage unit that stores work element information composed of work element specifications including a type of required part and a quantity of the part, an output destination after completion of the work element, a standard cycle time of the work element, and a material CFP consumption unit per unit consumption of the part, and The system is characterized in that it is equipped with a link information storage unit that stores link information that revisably associates elements with a first equipment element, and in response to satisfaction of a triggering condition of work element information of a first work element that is linked to at least a first equipment element by the link information, the first equipment element performs work and outputs the work element information of the first work element to an output destination after the work is completed, thereby simulating processing, and calculating a total carbon dioxide emission based on multiplying the equipment CFP unit of the first equipment element by the standard cycle time and multiplying the material CFP unit of the first work element by the consumption amount of the parts. According to this, since the work element information of the work element that is invariant regardless of the capacity and number of the equipment element can be set independently from the equipment element information, and a desired link can be set and simulated, it is possible to easily and flexibly set and change the equipment element that performs the work, and various simulations and the search for optimal process conditions can be performed quickly at low cost. In addition, the type and number of necessary parts set in the work element information can be flexibly used with the desired equipment element to perform a simulation of a manufacturing work. In addition, a standard cycle time can be set for the work element as work element information that can be generally used by multiple types of equipment elements. In addition, the link between the work element information and the equipment element information can be flexibly set and changed, and various production processes can be flexibly simulated, and the link between the equipment CFP unit per unit operating time of the equipment element and the material CFP unit per unit consumption of the parts of the work element can be flexibly set and changed, and carbon dioxide emissions corresponding to various production processes can be flexibly calculated.

[0010] The production design simulation device of the present invention is characterized in that, when an equipment-specific cycle time shorter than the standard cycle time is set in the equipment element information of the first equipment element in addition to the standard cycle time set in the work element information of the first work element, the production design simulation device simulates processing by having the first equipment element consume the parts of the first work element at the equipment-specific cycle time of the equipment element information, and simulates calculating the total carbon dioxide emissions based on multiplying the equipment CFP unit of the first equipment element by the equipment-specific cycle time instead of multiplying the equipment CFP unit of the first equipment element by the standard cycle time. According to this, when a specific equipment element is a highly functional production machine whose equipment-specific cycle time is shorter than the standard cycle time, the characteristics of the specific equipment element can be reflected in the simulation and also in the calculation of carbon dioxide emissions.

[0011] The production design simulation device of the present invention stores location information of the equipment element in the equipment element information storage unit as specifications of the equipment element, acquires a transport time from the first equipment element to the second equipment element based on the location information of the first equipment element and the location information of a second equipment element which is the output destination of the first equipment element, and simulates processing by outputting an intermediate product after completion of the work of the first equipment element to the second equipment element at a time when the transport time has elapsed from the work completion time of the first equipment element, stores transport information having a transport CFP unit per unit transport time in the transport information storage unit, and calculates the total carbon dioxide emission by multiplying the transport CFP unit by the transport time and adding the carbon dioxide emission obtained. This makes it possible to obtain more accurate process simulation results that take the transport time into account, and also makes it possible to reflect the characteristics of the transport time in the calculation of the carbon dioxide emission amount using the transport CFP basic unit.

[0012] The production design simulation device of the present invention is characterized in that it stores a plurality of equipment CFP unit values ​​with different values ​​as the equipment CFP unit value per unit operating time that constitutes the specifications of the equipment element in the first equipment element, stores rank identification information indicating the rank of each of the equipment CFP unit values ​​with different values ​​as equipment element information, and simulates the amount of carbon dioxide emissions using the equipment CFP unit value corresponding to the input rank identification information. According to this, when simulating the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions in environments with different outside temperatures, such as cold regions and warm regions, a more environmentally appropriate equipment CFP unit can be used in the simulation process, enabling the calculation of a more accurate total amount of carbon dioxide emissions that is appropriate for the environment.

[0013] The production design simulation device of the present invention stores a plurality of equipment CFP unit values ​​with different values ​​as the equipment CFP unit value per unit operating time that constitutes the specifications of the equipment element in the first equipment element, and stores rank identification information indicating the rank of each of the equipment CFP unit values ​​with different values ​​as equipment element information, and is equipped with a temperature sensor and a rank identification information acquisition unit that acquires corresponding rank identification information from the detection value of the temperature sensor input, and is characterized in that carbon dioxide emissions are simulated using the equipment CFP unit value corresponding to the acquired rank identification information. According to this, when simulating the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions in environments with different outside temperatures, such as cold regions and warm regions, the equipment CFP unit that is more suitable for the environment can be objectively identified based on the detection value of the temperature sensor and used in the simulation process, allowing a more accurate total amount of carbon dioxide emissions suitable for the environment to be simulated. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the production design simulation device of the present invention, the linkage between work element information and facility element information can be flexibly set and changed, and a variety of production processes can be flexibly simulated, while carbon dioxide emissions corresponding to the various production processes can be flexibly calculated. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a production design simulation apparatus according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 4 is a flowchart showing a process of the production design simulation device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of facility element information in the production design simulation device according to the first modified example of the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a production design simulation device according to a second modified example of the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2A is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a product in the embodiment, and FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of a production process in the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2A is an explanatory diagram showing equipment elements in the embodiment, and FIG. 2B is a flowchart showing the flow of a production process based on work elements in the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of facility element information in the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of task element information in the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of link information in the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram conceptually showing a link setting screen between facility elements and work elements in the embodiment. [Figure 11] 4A to 4D are explanatory diagrams showing examples of graphs of logs recorded in an operation log database. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a production design simulation device and a client terminal according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] [Production design simulation device according to an embodiment] The production design simulation device 1 of the embodiment of the present invention is a device that performs calculations to simulate the transition of process states due to a chain of discrete events, and as shown in FIG. 1, is equipped with a calculation control unit 2 such as a CPU, a memory unit 3 composed of a ROM, a hard disk, etc., an input unit 4 such as a mouse, keyboard, touch panel, etc., and an output unit 5 such as a display, printer, etc., and is composed of, for example, a server, or multiple computers connected via a communication network.

[0017] The memory unit 3 has a processing program memory unit 31 that stores processing programs such as a production design simulation program that causes the calculation control unit 2 to execute specified processing, an equipment element information memory unit 32 that stores the specifications of equipment elements of the production equipment as equipment element information, a work element information memory unit 33 that stores work element information including the triggering conditions of the work element and the output destination after the work is completed, a link information memory unit 34 that stores link information that mutably relates equipment elements or equipment element information to work elements or work element information, a transport information memory unit 35 that stores transport information having a transport CFP basic unit per unit transport time, a screen data memory unit 36 ​​that stores data of a specified screen to be displayed on the display of the output unit 5, an operation log database 37 that stores operation logs of state changes in each equipment element corresponding to time, and a simulation result memory unit 38 that stores, as simulation results, identification information of the simulation of the executed production process and the corresponding total carbon dioxide emission amount, and the contents of the simulation corresponding to the simulation identification information, and further has an area for storing data necessary for performing specified processing such as discrete simulation and calculation of carbon dioxide emission amount.

[0018] The equipment CFP unit per unit operating time is set as the equipment element specifications set as the equipment element information. The equipment CFP unit refers to an emission coefficient that is multiplied by the operating time of the equipment element of the production equipment to calculate the carbon dioxide emissions. Furthermore, the equipment element specifications include, for example, location information of the equipment element of the production equipment, equipment-specific cycle time of the equipment element of the production equipment, etc., and also appropriate specifications caused by or related to the equipment element of the production equipment itself are set as necessary.

[0019] The specifications of the work elements set as the work element information are set with appropriate specifications related to a specific work that are not dependent on the equipment elements. For example, as specifications related to the work of producing a specific product, the triggering condition of the work element in which the type of necessary parts and the amount of the parts are set, the output destination and the number of parts output after the work of the work element is completed, the standard cycle time of the work element, the material CFP basic unit per unit consumption of the part, etc. are set. The material CFP basic unit means an emission coefficient by which the carbon dioxide emission amount is calculated by multiplying it by the consumption amount of the necessary parts of the work element. Note that, in the entire process such as the entire production process, the work element information of all the work elements may include some work element information of work elements for which triggering conditions are not set and stored, such as a work element of the first process in which the triggering condition is the start input.

[0020] The link information between equipment elements and work elements stored in the link information memory unit 34 is set according to input from the input unit 4 on a setting screen displayed on the display of the output unit 5 under the control of the calculation control unit 2 which cooperates with the production design simulation program. However, it is preferable to make it possible to input and set link information by displaying a screen on which the equipment elements are arranged two-dimensionally and a screen on which the work elements that make up the production process network are arranged as a network, and selecting each element on the two screens and relating them by executing a relating command or by drag and drop, etc., which makes link setting intuitive and easy to use.

[0021] In the production design simulation device 1, triggering conditions and output destinations after work completion are set as work element information of work elements, and the calculation control unit 2, which cooperates with the production design simulation program, triggers the operation of the equipment element so that the equipment element performs the work specified in the work element information of the work element in response to the satisfaction of the triggering conditions of the work element information of the work element linked to the equipment element by link information (S11), as shown in Fig. 2, and outputs intermediate products after work completion to the output destination of the work element information, thereby progressing the calculation and simulating the processing of the production process. If an equipment-specific cycle time shorter than the standard cycle time in the work element information of the work element linked to an arbitrary equipment element described later is not set (S12), the calculation control unit 2 executes the generation work of the finished product or intermediate product so that the arbitrary equipment element consumes the necessary parts of the linked work element at the standard cycle time of the work element information, and performs the simulated processing (S13).

[0022] When the calculation control unit 2 performs the simulation processing, for example, it is possible to refer to the triggering condition and output destination of the work element information of the work element linked to the equipment element during the calculation, and perform calculation to trigger and output the operation of the equipment element depending on whether the triggering condition is satisfied, or to store the triggering condition and output destination of the work element information of the work element linked to the equipment element in the storage unit 3 as additional information of the equipment element before the calculation, and perform calculation to trigger and output the operation of the equipment element depending on whether the triggering condition of the work element information that is the additional information is satisfied. In the latter example, by adding the triggering condition and the output destination to the equipment element before the calculation, it is possible to eliminate the need for processing to obtain link information during the calculation, and reduce the amount of processing carried out by the calculation control unit 2. The simulation processing of the entire production process by the calculation control unit 2 is performed until the processing of a work element or work element information in which a work element that is the output destination of the work completed product of the work element is not set in the work element information, and the calculation and accumulation of carbon dioxide emissions, which will be described later, is similarly performed until the processing of a work element or work element information in which a work element that is the output destination of the work completed product is not set (S18).

[0023] In addition, in conjunction with the simulated processing of this production process, the calculation control unit 2 of the production design simulation device 1 multiplies the equipment CFP unit stored corresponding to the equipment element by the standard cycle time of the work element to simulate the amount of carbon dioxide emissions, and multiplies the material CFP unit stored corresponding to the work element by the consumption amount of parts required for the work element to simulate the amount of carbon dioxide emissions (S14), and stores the carbon dioxide emissions calculated corresponding to each equipment element and the carbon dioxide emissions calculated corresponding to each work element in a specified memory area of ​​the simulation result memory unit 38 of the memory unit 3 in the linking relationship between the equipment elements and the work elements, and accumulates them (S15).

[0024] Here, when the calculation control unit 2 of the production design simulation device 1 determines that the equipment element information of an arbitrary equipment element has an equipment-specific cycle time set that is shorter than the standard cycle time in the work element information of the work element linked to the arbitrary equipment element (S12), the calculation control unit 2 performs a simulated process by executing the production work of the finished product or intermediate product so that the arbitrary equipment element consumes the necessary parts of the work element to which the arbitrary equipment element is linked, using the equipment-specific cycle time of the equipment element information (S131), and instead of multiplying the equipment CFP unit stored corresponding to the arbitrary equipment element by the standard cycle time of the linked work element, multiplies the equipment CFP unit stored corresponding to the arbitrary equipment element by the equipment-specific cycle time of the arbitrary equipment element to simulately calculate the carbon dioxide emission (S141), and stores the carbon dioxide emission calculated corresponding to each equipment element in a specified memory area of ​​the simulation result memory unit 38 of the memory unit 3 (S151).

[0025] Furthermore, in the calculation processing of the calculation control unit 2 of the production design simulation device 1 of this embodiment, position information of the equipment elements of the production equipment stored in the equipment element information storage unit 32 as the specifications of the equipment elements is used, and the transport time from the first equipment element to the second equipment element is obtained based on the position information of the first equipment element and the position information of the second equipment element which is the output destination of the first equipment element, and an intermediate product after completion of the work of the first equipment element is output to the second equipment element at the time when the transport time has elapsed from the work completion time of the first equipment element, thereby simulating the processing and executing a more accurate process simulation that takes the transport time into account (S16, S161).

[0026] This transport time can be obtained, for example, by storing a coordinate system defining the entire area of ​​a production factory, etc., and a set speed in a specified area of ​​the memory unit 3, and calculating and obtaining the transport time from the position information of the first equipment element and the position information of the second equipment element and the set speed in the calculation process of the calculation control unit 2; alternatively, by utilizing existing route prediction technology, a movement route is predicted using specified data stored in a specified area of ​​the memory unit 3 in the calculation process of the calculation control unit 2, and the transport time from the first equipment element to the second equipment element is calculated and obtained based on this movement route.

[0027] In addition, the calculation control unit 2 of the production design simulation device 1, in response to acquisition of a transport time such as the transport time from the first facility element to the second facility element, uses the transport CFP basic unit per unit transport time stored in the transport information storage unit 35 to multiply the acquired transport time to simulate the carbon dioxide emission amount, and stores the carbon dioxide emission amount calculated corresponding to each transport time in a predetermined storage area of ​​the simulation result storage unit 38 of the storage unit 3 and accumulates it (S17, S171). Here, the transport CFP basic unit means an emission coefficient by which the carbon dioxide emission amount is calculated by multiplying the transport time between facility elements of the production facility.

[0028] Then, the calculation control unit 2 integrates the carbon dioxide emission calculated corresponding to each integrated facility element, the carbon dioxide emission calculated corresponding to each integrated work element, and the carbon dioxide emission calculated corresponding to each integrated transport time to calculate the total carbon dioxide emission emitted by all the simulated production steps and all the production processes, and stores it in a predetermined storage area of ​​the simulation result storage unit 38 of the storage unit 3 (S19). Note that the calculation control unit 2 may also calculate the total carbon dioxide emission emitted by all the production processes by sequentially integrating the carbon dioxide emission calculated corresponding to each integrated facility element, the carbon dioxide emission calculated corresponding to each integrated work element, and the carbon dioxide emission calculated corresponding to each integrated transport time in accordance with the simulation process without distinguishing between them, and store it in a predetermined storage area of ​​the simulation result storage unit 38 of the storage unit 3. For example, in response to an input of an output request from the input unit 4, the calculation control unit 2 outputs and displays the total carbon dioxide emission calculated and stored in the simulation result storage unit 38 of the storage unit 3 at the output unit 5.

[0029] According to the production design simulation device 1 of the present embodiment, since the work element information of the work element that is invariant regardless of the capacity and number of the equipment element can be set independently from the equipment element information, and a desired link can be set and simulated, the equipment element that performs the work can be easily and flexibly set and changed, and various simulations and the search for optimal process conditions can be performed quickly at low cost. In addition, the type and number of necessary parts set in the work element information can be flexibly used in the desired equipment element to perform a simulation of a manufacturing work. In addition, a standard cycle time can be set for the work element as work element information that can be generally used by a plurality of types of equipment elements. In addition, the link between the work element information and the equipment element information can be flexibly set and changed, and various production processes can be flexibly simulated, and the link between the equipment CFP unit per unit operating time of the equipment element and the material CFP unit per unit consumption of the parts of the work element can be flexibly set and changed, and carbon dioxide emissions corresponding to various production processes can be flexibly calculated.

[0030] In addition, when a specific equipment element is a highly functional production machine whose equipment-specific cycle time is shorter than the standard cycle time, the characteristics of the specific equipment element can be reflected in the simulation and can also be reflected in the calculation of carbon dioxide emissions.

[0031] In addition, it is possible to obtain more accurate process simulation results that take into account the transport time, and the transport time characteristics can be reflected in the calculation of carbon dioxide emissions using the transport CFP basic unit.

[0032] [Production design simulation device according to a first modified example of the embodiment] 3, in the production design simulation device 1 of the first modified example of the embodiment, a plurality of equipment CFP unit consumptions with different values ​​are set as equipment CFP unit consumptions per unit operation time constituting the specifications of equipment elements in required equipment elements such as a compressor, an electric furnace, etc., and are stored in the equipment element information storage unit 32, and rank identification information indicating the ranks of the equipment CFP unit consumptions with different values ​​is set corresponding to the equipment CFP unit consumptions with different values ​​and is stored in the equipment element information storage unit 32. The equipment CFP unit consumption in the first modified example also means an emission coefficient by which the carbon dioxide emission amount is calculated by multiplying the operation time of the equipment elements of the production equipment.

[0033] The calculation control unit 2 of the production design simulation device 1 in the first modified example recognizes the rank identification information of each facility element input from the input unit 4, stores the rank identification information input in each facility element and the facility CFP intensity corresponding thereto in a temporary storage area of ​​the storage unit 3, etc., and executes a process of calculating the carbon dioxide emission amount simulated using the facility CFP intensity corresponding to the rank identification information input and set to the specified state in each facility element. That is, in the process of S14 and S141 in FIG. 2, the carbon dioxide emission amount is calculated simulated using the facility CFP intensity corresponding to the rank identification information in the specified state. Note that, for a facility element in which only a single facility CFP intensity is set as the specification of the facility element, the facility CFP intensity is used to calculate the carbon dioxide emission amount simulated. The other configurations of the first modified example are the same as those of the above embodiment.

[0034] It is also preferable to set the same rank identification information for a group of equipment elements such as the same type of production equipment, and to specify the equipment CFP unit for a group of equipment elements consisting of a plurality of equipment elements at once in response to the input of one rank identification information.In addition, it is also preferable to input an index such as temperature, air pressure, or humidity corresponding to the rank identification information instead of inputting the rank identification information, store an index correspondence table that associates the input index with the rank identification information in a predetermined storage area of ​​the storage unit 3, and use the index correspondence table to have the calculation control unit 2 recognize the rank identification information corresponding to the input index.

[0035] According to the production design simulation device 1 of the first modified example, when simulating the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions in environments with different outside temperatures, such as cold regions and warm regions, a more environmentally appropriate equipment CFP unit can be used in the simulation process, making it possible to simulate the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions that is more accurate and suitable for the environment.

[0036] [Production design simulation device according to a second modified example of the embodiment] In the production design simulation device 1 of the second modified embodiment, similarly to the first modified embodiment, a plurality of equipment CFP unit values ​​with different values ​​are set as equipment CFP unit values ​​per unit operation time constituting the specifications of equipment elements in required equipment elements such as a compressor, an electric furnace, etc., and stored in the equipment element information storage unit 32, and rank identification information indicating the ranks of the equipment CFP unit values ​​with different values ​​is set corresponding to the equipment CFP unit values ​​with different values ​​and stored in the equipment element information storage unit 32. The equipment CFP unit value in the second modified embodiment also means an emission coefficient by which the carbon dioxide emission amount is calculated by multiplying the operation time of the equipment elements of the production equipment (see FIG. 3).

[0037] Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the production design simulation device 1 of the second modification is provided with a temperature sensor 6 and a rank identification information acquisition unit 21 that acquires corresponding rank identification information for each facility element from the input detection value of the temperature sensor 6. The rank identification information acquisition unit 21 is configured by an arithmetic control unit 2 that cooperates with a production design simulation program stored in a processing program storage unit 31. In the storage unit 3, a rank identification information correspondence table in which the numerical range of the detection value of the temperature sensor 6 and the rank identification information of each facility element are set in correspondence with each other is stored in a rank identification information correspondence table storage unit 39, and the rank identification information acquisition unit 21 acquires rank identification information for each facility element corresponding to the detection value input from the temperature sensor 6, and further, sets the acquired rank identification information and the corresponding facility CFP consumption unit to a designated state by storing the acquired rank identification information and the corresponding facility CFP consumption unit in a temporary storage area of ​​the storage unit 3, and executes a process of simulating the carbon dioxide emission amount in each facility element using the facility CFP consumption unit corresponding to the rank identification information set to the designated state. The other configurations of the second modification are the same as those of the first modification, and it is preferable to use the modified configuration of the first modification in the second modification as well as in the first modification within an applicable range.

[0038] According to the production design simulation device 1 of the second modified example, when simulating the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions in environments with different outside temperatures, such as cold regions and warm regions, the equipment CFP unit that is more suitable for the environment can be objectively identified based on the detection value of the temperature sensor 6 and used in the simulation process, making it possible to simulate the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions that is more suitable for the environment and more accurately calculate it. EXAMPLES

[0039] Next, an example will be described in which the production design simulation device 1 of the embodiment is applied to a production process for manufacturing a high-pressure gas cylinder as a product. As shown in Fig. 5, in the example, the high-pressure gas cylinder is configured by fixing a body and both sides, and after the body and both sides are forged, the body and both sides are welded together, a pressure resistance test is performed, and then the high-pressure gas cylinder is completed by painting.

[0040] In this production process, the equipment elements and work elements of the production equipment are defined as shown in Figure 6. That is, the forging machines are defined as equipment elements A to C, the welding machines as equipment elements D and E, the pressure testers as equipment elements F and G, and the paint machine as equipment element H, while the body forging process is defined as work element WE1, the side forging process as work element WE2, the welding process as work element WE3, the pressure test process as work element WE4, and the painting process as work element WE5. Note that Figure 6 shows the positions of stations and aisles (shown by dotted lines) as each equipment element in the factory layout.

[0041] Then, by input from the input unit 4, for each equipment element, equipment element information which is the specifications of the equipment element is stored in the equipment element information storage unit 32 of the production design simulation device 1, and for each work element, work element information which is the specifications of the work element is stored in the work element information storage unit 33. Furthermore, by relating the equipment elements to the work elements, the equipment element information and the work element information are related to each other, and link information of this relationship is stored in the link information storage unit 34.

[0042] An example of equipment element information set for each equipment element is shown in Figure 7. In this example, for the equipment elements of each production facility, the equipment-specific cycle time CT1 [min] for each product, the position coordinates of the equipment element in the coordinate system of the factory layout, the vertical and horizontal size occupied by the equipment element, the number of parts that can be accommodated in the equipment element's parts buffer, the current number of parts accommodated in the equipment element's parts buffer, the equipment CFP basic unit per unit operating time, etc. are set as the equipment element specifications and are set as the equipment element information. Note that, for example, if an equipment element requires multiple types of parts, the number that can be accommodated in the parts buffer and the current number accommodated should be set for each type of part.

[0043] An example of work element information set for each work element is shown in Figure 8. In this example, the type and quantity of necessary parts, which are the triggering conditions of the work element, the work element that is the output destination of the work completion product of the work element, the type and number of output products to be output after the work is completed, the standard cycle time CT2 [min] of the work element, the material CFP basic unit per unit consumption of the necessary parts in the triggering condition of the work element, etc. are set as the specifications of the work element and are set as the work element information. Note that the standard cycle time of the work element represents the general cycle time of the work, and when an equipment-specific cycle time shorter than the standard cycle time in the work element information of a work element linked to the equipment element is set in the equipment element information of an arbitrary equipment element, the equipment-specific cycle time held in the equipment element information is used.

[0044] In addition to the above information, the work element information may also include, as triggering conditions, the tools required for the work, the amount of consumables, the number of personnel required to perform the work, and secondary resources such as electricity, hydraulic power, and gas required to perform the work, and, in order to operate as a downstream withdrawal (just-in-time system), a flag indicating whether the work is downstream withdrawal or not, and if downstream withdrawal, whether it is currently in a state where it can be operated according to the state of the downstream process.In addition, the number of tools consumed, and the number and amount of discharged cuttings, heat, water, and gas may also be set as output information.

[0045] An example of link information is shown in Figure 9. In this example, equipment element C is set to work element WE1, equipment element A to work element WE2, equipment elements D and E to work element WE3, equipment element G to work element WE4, and equipment element H to work element WE5, but it is possible to relate work elements to appropriate equipment elements out of all equipment elements A to H in the factory, or to relate work elements to all equipment elements A to H in the factory, and this relationship can be flexibly set and changed depending on the required production volume, etc.

[0046] As shown in the conceptual diagram of Figure 10, the association between the equipment element information corresponding to the above-mentioned equipment elements and the work element information corresponding to the work elements using link information can be performed, for example, by selecting an equipment element on a screen where the equipment elements are arranged two-dimensionally, and selecting a work element on a screen where the work elements that make up the production process network are arranged as a network, and executing a command to associate them, or by selecting a work element on the screen where the work elements that make up the production process network are arranged as a network, and dragging and dropping it onto the equipment element on the screen where the equipment elements are arranged two-dimensionally.

[0047] The relationship and link information between equipment elements and work elements can be set in a multiple-to-multiple relationship between equipment elements and work elements. This makes it possible to carry out a certain work element with one or more equipment elements as appropriate in response to fluctuations in production volume or production items, and to accommodate changes from the original equipment element to a different equipment element, and also makes it possible to link multiple work elements to one equipment element and carry out multiple work elements with one equipment element. Note that since equipment elements that are not used may arise within a factory, it is acceptable for there to be equipment elements that are not linked to work elements, but work elements must be carried out, so they must be linked to some equipment element.

[0048] A production process simulation calculation is performed by the production design simulation device 1 in which the equipment element information, work element information, and link information that mutably relates the equipment element information and the work element information are set as described above. In the simulation calculation, production work is performed using parts required by each equipment element depending on whether or not the triggering conditions of the work elements individually linked to each equipment element by the link information are satisfied, and the work-completed product that has been processed or assembled as a result of the processing of the equipment element is output to the next equipment element that is the output destination after the work of the work element is completed, thereby performing a simulated calculation process.

[0049] In this calculation, for example, part we2: side forged by equipment element A (forging machine) is stored in the parts buffer of equipment element D (welding machine), and part we1: body forged by equipment element C (forging machine) is stored in the parts buffer of equipment element D (welding machine) or equipment element E (welding machine). At the time when the triggering condition of equipment element D (welding machine) or equipment element E (welding machine) is satisfied (the time when two parts we2: side and one part we1: body are stored in the parts buffer), the equipment element D (welding machine) or equipment element E (welding machine) consumes the necessary parts (two parts we2: side and one part we1: body), performs the work (welding work) and generates an intermediate product (part we3) in which the side and body are welded, and then outputs this intermediate product (part we3, finished product) to equipment element G (pressure resistance tester) defined as the next process. If multiple equipment elements are set for the same task, the triggering conditions for each equipment element are judged individually, and the equipment element that has reached the triggering condition is operated and output. By calculating each equipment element to execute such processing in parallel, production can be simulated.

[0050] Furthermore, in this simulation calculation, for example, in the linking relationship between equipment element C and work element WE1, the equipment CFP unit stored corresponding to the equipment element C is multiplied by the standard cycle time of the work element WE1 linked to the equipment element C to simulate the carbon dioxide emission corresponding to the equipment element C, and the material CFP unit stored corresponding to the work element WE1 is multiplied by the consumption of parts required for the work element WE1 to simulate the carbon dioxide emission corresponding to the work element WE1, and the carbon dioxide emission calculated corresponding to the equipment element C and the carbon dioxide emission calculated corresponding to the work element WE1 are stored in a specified memory area of ​​the memory unit 3.

[0051] Similarly, for example, in the linking relationship between equipment element A and work element WE2, the equipment CFP unit stored corresponding to the equipment element A is multiplied by the standard cycle time of the work element WE2 linked to the equipment element A to simulate the carbon dioxide emission corresponding to the equipment element A, and the material CFP unit stored corresponding to the work element WE2 is multiplied by the consumption of parts required for the work element WE2 to simulate the carbon dioxide emission corresponding to the work element WE2, and the carbon dioxide emission calculated corresponding to the equipment element A and the carbon dioxide emission calculated corresponding to the work element WE2 are stored in a specified memory area of ​​the memory unit 3.

[0052] In this manner, in the respective linking relationships between the equipment elements and the work elements, the carbon dioxide emissions calculated corresponding to each equipment element and the carbon dioxide emissions calculated corresponding to each work element are stored in a specified memory area of ​​the memory unit 3 and are accumulated.

[0053] Here, for example, if the equipment element information of equipment element D is set with an equipment-specific cycle time that is shorter than the standard cycle time in the work element information of the work element WE3 linked to equipment element D, and the calculation control unit 2 of the production design simulation device 1 determines this by comparing the standard cycle time with the equipment-specific cycle time, the calculation control unit 2 simulates processing by executing the production work of finished products and intermediate products so that the necessary parts of the work element WE3 to which the equipment element D is linked are consumed using the equipment-specific cycle time in the equipment element information, and instead of multiplying the equipment CFP unit stored in correspondence with the normal equipment element D by the standard cycle time of the linked work element WE3, the calculation control unit 2 multiplies the equipment CFP unit stored in correspondence with the equipment element D by the equipment-specific cycle time of the equipment element D to simulate the carbon dioxide emissions, and stores this in a specified memory area of ​​the memory unit 3 as the carbon dioxide emissions calculated in correspondence with equipment element D in the linked relationship between equipment element D and work element WE3, and uses it to calculate the above-mentioned carbon dioxide emissions.

[0054] In addition, in this simulation calculation, in association with the transportation of finished products and intermediate products that occur as the production process progresses, for example, the transportation time in the transportation process from the equipment element C linked to the work element WE1 to the equipment element D linked to the work element WE3 is calculated and acquired from the position information of the equipment elements C and D and the set speed stored in the memory unit 3, and the transportation CFP basic unit per unit transportation time stored in the transportation information memory unit 35 is multiplied by the transportation CFP basic unit to calculate the carbon dioxide emission amount in a simulated manner. Similarly, the transportation time in each transportation process that occurs in the production process is acquired to calculate the carbon dioxide emission amount in a simulated manner, and the carbon dioxide emission calculated corresponding to each transportation time is stored in a specified storage area of ​​the memory unit 3 and integrated.

[0055] Then, in each linking relationship between the facility elements and the work elements, the carbon dioxide emission calculated corresponding to each facility element, the carbon dioxide emission calculated corresponding to each work element, and the carbon dioxide emission calculated corresponding to each transport time are all added up to calculate a simulated total carbon dioxide emission. The total carbon dioxide emission calculated in this way is stored in the simulation result storage unit 38 by the calculation control unit 2 of the production design simulation device 1 in association with the identification information of the executed simulation of the production process.

[0056] In this embodiment, the above-mentioned first modified example is applied, and, for example, a plurality of equipment CFP unit values ​​with different values ​​are set as equipment CFP unit values ​​corresponding to equipment element C, and rank identification information indicating the ranks of each of the different equipment CFP unit values ​​is stored in the equipment element information storage unit 32, and the calculation control unit 2 of the production design simulation device 1 uses the equipment CFP unit value corresponding to the rank identification information of the equipment element C that has been input and set to a specified state, and multiplies it by the standard cycle time of the work element WE1 linked to the equipment element C to simulate the carbon dioxide emissions.

[0057] In addition, in this embodiment, the above-mentioned second modified example is applied, and, for example, multiple equipment CFP unit values ​​with different values ​​are set as equipment CFP unit values ​​corresponding to equipment element C, and rank identification information indicating the ranks of each of the different numerical equipment CFP unit values ​​is stored in the equipment element information memory unit 32, and the rank identification information acquisition unit 21 of the calculation control unit 2 of the production design simulation device 1 acquires the rank identification information of the equipment element C corresponding to the detection value input from the temperature sensor 6, and further, the acquired rank identification information and the corresponding equipment CFP unit value are set to a specified state, and the equipment CFP unit value corresponding to the rank identification information set to the specified state is used to multiply the standard cycle time of the work element WE1 linked to the equipment element C to simulate the carbon dioxide emissions.

[0058] In the above-mentioned simulation calculation, various analyses can be performed by recording the state changes of each facility element in the operation log database 37 corresponding to the time, such as the elapsed time from the simulation start time. Fig. 11 shows a graph of the logs recorded in the operation log database 37. This makes it possible to grasp the number of parts in the parts buffer held by each facility element over time, i.e., the transition of intermediate inventory, and the operation rate within the operation time of each facility element, etc. In the above example, the time when the part we2 (side part) forged by equipment element A (forging machine) is stored in the parts buffer of equipment element D (welding machine) or element equipment E (welding machine), the time when the part we1 (main body) forged by equipment element C (forging machine) is stored in the parts buffer of equipment element D (welding machine) or element equipment E (welding machine), the time when the equipment element D (welding machine) or element equipment E (welding machine) consumes two parts we2 (side parts) and one part we1 (main body) and starts to produce the part we3 (intermediate product), the time when the equipment element D (welding machine) or element equipment E (welding machine) completes producing the part we3 (intermediate product), etc. are recorded and stored in the operation log database 37 in accordance with each state.

[0059] In the production simulation by the production design simulation device 1 in the above example, a simulation is performed so that if the triggering condition is satisfied for each equipment element, production work is executed. However, in accordance with the production plan, in addition to the triggering condition, additional conditions such as conditions as to whether production work may be executed by each work element, or activity (logistics, worker organization) conditions, or both, may be added, and these additional conditions may be stored in the work element information storage unit 33, and a simulation is performed so that if the triggering condition and the additional conditions are satisfied, the equipment element linked to the work element executes the work.

[0060] For example, in addition to production targets and production methods such as which products to produce, how many to produce, and the quantity to produce, the operating conditions of the production factory can be added, such as whether production is performed during working hours, what time production will start, and whether production will be performed within the range of the target production volume. It is also possible to add the time and number of parts supplied from subcontractors or other factories that will arrive at the factory. In this case, a mechanism is prepared in the parts buffer of the equipment element to generate parts according to the delivery status from the subcontractor or other factory. If you do not want to reflect the status of parts supply from subcontractors or other factories at the early stage of planning, it is a good idea to prepare a mechanism in the parts buffer that is the most upstream in the production process network to supply parts unlimitedly when required by the equipment element.

[0061] As a condition for worker organization, for example, the number of people in each work group can be set, and if the equipment elements that a certain work group will be responsible for the work are set, the work at the equipment elements can be carried out when the personnel of that work group are free. This type of utilization is not limited to the form shown in this example, and for example, when the work of transporting parts to each equipment element is set as a work element, an additional condition can be realized that allows the work to be carried out within the range that the personnel of the transport work group can handle.

[0062] [Scope of the invention disclosed herein] The invention disclosed in this specification includes, in addition to each invention, embodiment, and example listed as the invention, those specified by changing partial contents of these to other contents disclosed in this specification, those specified by adding other contents disclosed in this specification to these contents, or those specified by deleting partial contents of these to the extent that partial action and effect can be obtained, and specifying them as a higher conceptualization. The invention disclosed in this specification also includes the following modified examples.

[0063] For example, as a further modification of the above embodiment, the first modification, and the second modification, as shown in FIG. 12, it is preferable to provide a communication unit 7 for controlling communications in the production design simulation apparatus 1, and to enable communication with a client terminal 102 via a communication line 101, so that link information can be set by transmission from the client terminal 102, that input can be transmitted from the client terminal 102 instead of input from the input unit 4, and that the client terminal 102 can receive simulation results. It is also preferable to configure the production design simulation apparatus 1 so that it can indirectly transmit and receive data to and from the client terminal 102 via a separately installed server or the like.

[0064] This makes it possible to present the simulation results, including the level of carbon dioxide emissions, of the production design simulation device 1 to a user in a different location, such as a remote location. Also, the user can obtain, only when necessary, an effect analysis, including the level of carbon dioxide emissions, obtained by simulation using the production design simulation device 1 shared by multiple people. This enables efficient use of the production design simulation device 1 and the performance of effect analysis, including the level of carbon dioxide emissions, obtained by simulation at a lower cost.

[0065] In addition, in the production design simulation device of the present invention, if necessary, the waste material CFP unit is set and stored as an emission coefficient by which the carbon dioxide emission is calculated by multiplying the amount of waste material, the waste material CFP unit is multiplied to calculate the carbon dioxide emission, and this carbon dioxide emission is further integrated with the carbon dioxide emission calculated in the above embodiment to calculate the total carbon dioxide emission. In addition, in the production design simulation device of the present invention, if necessary, the CFP unit of the carbon dioxide emission coefficient corresponding to the amount of electricity used for lighting not related to production, the CFP unit of the carbon dioxide emission coefficient corresponding to the amount of electricity used for air conditioning, etc. are set and stored, and the carbon dioxide emission is calculated by multiplying the amount of electricity used for lighting and the amount of electricity used for air conditioning during production by the CFP unit corresponding to each, and this carbon dioxide emission is further integrated with the carbon dioxide emission calculated in the above embodiment to calculate the total carbon dioxide emission. Furthermore, in the production design simulation device of the present invention, it is also preferable to set and store, as necessary, the CFP unit value of the carbon dioxide emission coefficient that depends on the commuting route of the staff involved in the work, and calculate the total carbon dioxide emission amount for each production item during production according to the proportion of involvement of each staff member. [Industrial Applicability]

[0066] The present invention can be used, for example, to simulate a production process and identify a production process that is excellent in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1...Production design simulation device 2...Calculation control unit 3...Memory unit 31...Processing program memory unit 32...Facility element information memory unit 33...Work element information memory unit 34...Link information memory unit 35...Transportation information memory unit 36...Screen data memory unit 37...Operation log database 38...Simulation result memory unit 39...Rank identification information correspondence table memory unit 4...Input unit 5...Output unit 6...Temperature sensor 7...Communication unit 101...Communication line 102...Client terminal

Claims

1. A production design simulation device that simulates state transitions resulting from a chain of discretely occurring events, Equipment element information storage unit that stores equipment element information consisting of equipment element specifications including equipment CFP unit cost per unit of operating time, A work element information storage unit stores work element information consisting of work element specifications including the type and quantity of required parts, the triggering conditions for the work element, the output destination after the completion of the work element, the standard cycle time of the work element, and the material CFP unit cost per unit consumption of the parts. The system includes a link information storage unit that stores link information that allows the equipment element and the work element to be modified and related, In response to the fulfillment of the triggering conditions for the work element information of the first work element, which is linked to at least the first equipment element by link information, the first equipment element performs the work and simulates the process by outputting the work element information of the first work element to the output destination after the work is completed, A production design simulation device characterized by using the equipment CFP unit cost in the first equipment element and the material CFP unit cost in the first work element, which are linked in a modifiable manner, to simulate the total carbon dioxide emissions based on multiplying the equipment CFP unit cost in the first equipment element by the standard cycle time and multiplying the material CFP unit cost in the first work element by the amount of parts consumed.

2. In addition to the standard cycle time set in the work element information of the first work element, if the equipment element information of the first equipment element has an equipment-specific cycle time shorter than the standard cycle time, the production work of the generated product is performed and processed in a simulated manner by having the first equipment element consume the parts of the first work element with the equipment-specific cycle time of the equipment element information, The production design simulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that, instead of multiplying the equipment CFP unit cost for the first equipment element by the standard cycle time, the total carbon dioxide emissions are simulated based on multiplying the equipment CFP unit cost for the first equipment element by the equipment-specific cycle time.

3. The location information of the equipment element is stored in the equipment element information storage unit as the specifications of the equipment element. The transport time from the first equipment element to the second equipment element is obtained based on the location information of the first equipment element and the location information of the second equipment element, which is the output destination of the first equipment element. At the time when the transport time has elapsed from the completion time of the work of the first equipment element, the second equipment element is simulated to output an intermediate product after the completion of the work of the first equipment element, Transport information having a transport CFP unit value per unit transport time is stored in the transport information storage unit. The production design simulation apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the total carbon dioxide emissions are calculated by adding the carbon dioxide emissions obtained by multiplying the transport CFP unit cost by the transport time.

4. The first equipment element stores multiple equipment CFP units with different numerical values ​​depending on the environment in which the first equipment element is installed, as equipment CFP units per unit operating time that constitute the specifications of the equipment element, and stores rank identification information indicating the rank of each of the equipment CFP units with different numerical values ​​as equipment element information. The production design simulation device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it simulates carbon dioxide emissions using the equipment CFP unit cost corresponding to the rank identification information input according to the environment in which the first equipment element is installed.

5. The first equipment element stores multiple equipment CFP units with different numerical values ​​depending on the environment in which the first equipment element is installed, as equipment CFP units per unit operating time that constitute the specifications of the equipment element, and stores rank identification information indicating the rank of each of the equipment CFP units with different numerical values ​​as equipment element information. The system includes a temperature sensor and a rank identification information acquisition unit that acquires rank identification information corresponding to the environment in which the first equipment element is installed, based on the detected value of the temperature sensor input. The production design simulation device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it simulates carbon dioxide emissions using the equipment CFP unit cost corresponding to the acquired rank identification information.

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